


Loving the Sinner

by miyabimai (orphan_account)



Series: VIXX! Vampire AU [3]
Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 06:18:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3757639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/miyabimai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanghyuk's day off ends interestingly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loving the Sinner

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clarify, the whole series thus far will be in chronological order, unless specified. So False Start is the first, and this will be the third. Also, I thought Sanghyuk needed a break from the last time, poor child. So a slow update, but an eventful one yay!

Hakyeon did not even bother with the courtesy of looking surprised. "A sloth?"

"A what?"

"A sloth. They feed slowly, when they manage to resist all that blood lust, they grow stronger," Hakyeon says, rubbing his knuckles against his jaw in thought. "I didn't expect to find one here though."

"Why does magic not work on them?" Hongbin asks, Sanghyuk tensing.

"Because they feed like, rarely, when they choose to," Hakyeon says. He blinks at their confusion. "When their bodies learn to live on so little blood, they extract much more energy from it. They become, essentially, stronger, more magic flows in their body. Less blood lust too. Or so they say."

Sanghyuk presses his face against the table, smooshing his features as he tries to work through his confusion. "There is literally no reason for him to have let me go, oh god."

He told them that he got tackled, then let go. He omitted the sniffing, the soft hair, the attraction. Sanghyuk groans, pulling up his hoodie to engulf his whole head, feeling his cheeks heat. Too human. That's all. He seemed too human in those brown eyes, that's all. Sanghyuk bangs his forehead on the table once, ignoring the wince from Hakyeon.

"Have I sinned," Sanghyuk says through the thick material, earning a snort from Hongbin. "I'm going to die."

"They are generally harmless," Hakyeon muses. "But even then..."

"Oh fuck me," Sanghyuk moans again.

"He could have attacked you while you were dealing with the other vampire," Hongbin suggests. "But he didn't. Good sign, at least?"

Sanghyuk feels his insides flutter and he stomps it down immediately. "I don't know." He sits up, ruffling his hair back into place. "Whatever."

At lunch time, Sanghyuk finds himself still thinking about him. He tries to distract himself with Hakyeon spoiling him, food piled into his rice bowl without his knowledge. "Hyung, that's more than enough."

"The young one must eat more," Hakyeon says, clucking his tongue. "Here, pork ribs, your favourite."

"Gross, they are so hard to eat," Hongbin frowns, and Sanghyuk shrugs. More for him then. "Why do you even like them?"

"Delicious," Sanghyuk says through his mouthful of rice, before swallowing the lump down at Hongbin's disgusted face. "Plus when hyung first took me in this was what he cooked."

"Aww," Jaehwan coos, materialising behind Sanghyuk. Sanghyuk jumps, chopsticks releasing the chunk of meat back into his rice bowl. "Little baby and his mum reminiscing."

"Shut up, Jaehwan," Hakyeon laughs, even as his smile betrays his delight at Sanghyuk's words. "Not everyone is lucky enough to be saved by me."

"When was that though, when you were still using the ancient arrows?" Jaehwan lays a kiss on Hongbin's cheek, nearly missing when his boyfriend rocks back to laugh at the memory.

"What!" Hakyeon grumbles. "Before any of you brats joined it was believed that only arrows worked okay, old magic to old magic."

Sanghyuk swallows his food. Sanghyuk stands, chair legs screeching across the floor, bile rising to his throat. The weight of everyone's gaze falls onto him. "I'm done."

"What, you-" Jaehwan starts, and relief fills Sanghyuk when Hakyeon shushes him.

Sanghyuk leaves the rest behind, dumping his tray in the clean-up section before going back to his desk. He takes his bag, intending to pull out his half edited report when his hand brushes his sheathed dagger. Sanghyuk doesn't know how to tell them that he lost the other half in the fight, does not want to tell them. He shakes out of it, tossing his bag under the table where it cannot be seen.

~

"Hey."

Sanghyuk looks up from his hands. His bracelet squeaks, going silent and he smiles at the younger boy. "Hey Jungkook, what's up?"

"Namjoon hyung said he managed to triangulate an area that vampires have been draining out," Jungkook says, looking down at the file in his arms. "The bosses want you to take it out. With whoever you want."

"Not Hakyeon?" Sanghyuk asks, taking the file from him. "I don't usually do tracking. That's Hakyeon and Hongbin's expertise."

"I don't really know, sorry, hyung," Jungkook says, biting down on his bottom lip. "I like your piercing by the way."

"Oh," Sanghyuk says, hand coming up to touch the bar self-consciously. "Thanks?"

"It sort of makes you look badass," Jungkook says shyly, hiding his laugh behind a hand when Sanghyuk sends him a bewildered look. "I'll go. Stay safe, hyung."

Sanghyuk fiddles with the piercing, flipping the report open. It's down west, an area Sanghyuk has rarely been to. The clock blinks five p.m. Sanghyuk stands, picking up his bag. "Time for a road trip then," he says under his breath. He glances over at the table beside his. Hongbin's out just then, and Sanghyuk considers waiting for him. He shakes his head. "Just a scouting trip."

The bus ride takes longer than expected. The sun sits just behind a tall building, the glaring orange shaft of evening sun resting over the suburb, a sinister warning.

Sanghyuk looks down at his phone's map, following the guide. When he reaches the buildings that corner a park, the people around him speed by, compared to the even pace he usually has, and it grabs his attention. He slips into one of the cafes, smiling at the barista that greets him.

"A latte," he says. "For here."

"Not to go?" The girl asks. "It's almost six. Dim."

"Oh, do you have to close soon?" Sanghyuk asks, making sure to look disappointed. "I'll take no more than ten minutes."

The girl takes a look at him, and he smiles hopefully. "Okay"

"I'm new to the area," Sanghyuk starts, once he's almost a third way done with his coffee. "It looks like you all close a lot earlier than the rest of the city."

"Attacks have been proliferating in this area," The girl says cautiously, glancing out of the windows. "The town council asked to stop all operations after eight. Can't stop the clubs, but eh, each to their own."

Sanghyuk nods, downing the rest of his coffee. "Thanks." He stands, heading to the door and the girl's relief shows on her face.

He glances around the area, locating the alleyway that Namjoon has pinpointed. He doesn't stop to stare, just walks past it straight, feels the humming in the skin of his throat. He makes a u-turn. He goes back to the bus stop, toes curling as he waits for the bus. It suddenly occurs to him that the heat of the sun has faded, leaving the last suriving rays of light to glimmer over the city. "Shit," he mutters, pulling his bag to his lap and resting his hand in it. He wonders if closing the area down meant no buses, and he grows more tense. "I need a car."

He texts Hakyeon, an SOS. His phone buzzes back immediately.

_Get out of there. Run. There's a bit of sunlight left. I'll find you midway._

Technically Sanghyuk should have nothing to worry about. He has done solos before, but Sanghyuk is not stupid. The file said 'hive' not 'clan', and that only means one thing. The bus stop's lighting flickers on. He sees why a hive might have been able to settle here, the way the sun disappeared so early and so quickly. A perfect hunting ground.

His throat dries out, when his eagle starts to burn. There's no direction, even as Sanghyuk crouches low, abandoning the bag altogether press his back to the wall of the stop. Far away, he thinks. He considers running for it. His adrenaline spikes and his throat dries, when he realises. No.

Everywhere.

A figure leaps from the shadows, and Sanghyuk dives under him, dagger tip just barely slicing into the vampire's stomach, the blood spattering over his cheek. Sanghyuk jumps on him, foot planted on the neck as he plunges the silver blade straight into the heart. The energy release barely gets a headstart before Sanghyuk is running with his blade, straight at the female that hisses ahead on the sidewalk. He slashes at her as he passes.

She screeches, the feral sound making Sanghyuk's blood run cold as her nails come to claw at Sanghyuk. It leaves long gashes along the side of Sanghyuk's forearm as her hands close around his wrist, but it gives Sanghyuk the chance to pull her forward and stab her through the back. He throws the body straight to his left, where his tattoo was screaming him to throw it to, and another female knocks it aside, eyes crazed as it glows crimson, drool sliding out of her mouth as she gapes her fangs at him. Fear locks into his muscles, his mind threatening to blank out.

He veers away when she jumps at him, crashing into the wall and Sanghyuk drives the blade through her skull, by accident as she slides down, and this time he aims lower, and the deafening scream that echoes when he hits home sends more fear, more adrenaline through his veins. The area is pulsing, the air almost vibrating from the amount of energy swimming through the thin air, suffocating Sanghyuk. A body latches onto his back, and Sanghyuk gasps, spinning to smash his back and the attacker against the nearest building wall as he sends his blade backwards. His protection sends a shockwave, just half a second too late, pushing him forward as the force moves back into the vampire's body. He lands on one knee, and suddenly from the corner of his eyes he sees two vampires circling around him.

It would be perfect if he had his other dagger. Sanghyuk sucks in a breath, launching at the vampire on his left, making a clean kill. When he turns, the other vampire's face is barely centimeters away from him, fangs grazing his jaw just as a strong gust of wind blows past Sanghyuk. The other vampire's scream only lasts three seconds before its head is torn off. Sanghyuk collapses to his knees, seeing a pale figure, hand holding that vampire's head. His savior brings out a blade, and it slices straight into the vampire's heart.

The blade shimmers in the dark, and Sanghyuk loses all of his strength when he recognises it. The figure shifts, and the dim light of the streetlamps falls on the person's features. He inhales sharply, before the figure disappears, and suddenly he's lifted, speeding away from the area.

"Wait," Sanghyuk gasps, only able to focus on the face above his. The rest of the world has smeared into a blur. "My friend, he's-"

"Message him," he says. "Say a bus came." Sanghyuk's bag thumps into his chest, and Sanghyuk scrambles for his phone. He types with shaking fingers, and presses send. The reply is instanteneous.

"He says okay, and to meet him back at HQ- I, who, why-" Sanghyuk is shaking from exertion, realising that he has expended too much, too much for speed and his anklet is searing, overheated from the amount of energy channeled through it just so that he could move fast enough to catch up to the vampires.

"I am a vampire," he replies, voice airier than Sanghyuk remembers it.

"I know that," Sanghyuk snaps, burying his face into his trembling hands.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be stupid, you saved me," Sanghyuk gasps again, crazed laughter escaping from him. "Ten years later I'm still letting vampires attack me that close. I'm letting _you_ get this close."

They laspe into silence, Sanghyuk's little choked gasps filling the gaps between until they subside. Sanghyuk tries to focus on anything but how the person holding him is warm. Warm and definitely not human because he hears no heartbeat when weakness takes over and he leans his head against his chest.

They eventually slide to a stop. "Your headquarters is just around the corner."

Sanghyuk shifts, and his feet find the ground easily enough. It feels like he's stepping on water and he sways, hand grabbing onto soft wool.

"Are you okay?" He asks, hand brushing Sanghyuk's forehead and Sanghyuk looks up. His neck is bent, peering at him. Sanghyuk stares back at him. The look in his eyes wipes Sanghyuk's mind blank, because it's warm, so warm and kind and it's entirely different from what Sanghyuk has ever known of vampires. Taekwoon's lips part just barely, a gentle exhale as if he wanted to say something, and the movement catches Sanghyuk's eyes. Sanghyuk's hand shakes as he raises his fingers to run the fingertips over his jaw.

The vampire inhales slowly. Sanghyuk leans back, apology on his lips when the male lurches forward, catching Sanghyuk's lips in his. That same flutter is back in Sanghyuk's stomach as he lets large hands cup his face, grabbing back onto the other's sweater, exhaling shakily into the kiss. That seems to trigger something, and he gasps when a small growl emits from the broader male, teeth latching onto his bottom lip, tongue sliding along the metal bar of his piercing.

Sanghyuk breaks the kiss and the vampire lets go instantly, "I-," Sanghyuk says, sucking on his bottom lip. "I..."

"The piercing, it's new...nice," the vampire murmurs quietly, and he lets out an exasperated chuckle. "I mean, I'm Taekwoon, I-" Taekwoon glances behind him, "Will see you later." and then he's gone. Headlights fall onto where he was just standing, and Hakyeon's car turns in.

"Sanghyuk!" Hakyeon says, rushing out of his car. "You're bleeding, shit, come in, what were you doing there? Alone?"

Sanghyuk lets himself be dragged into the safety of the headquarters' building, head spinning. The heady scent of antiseptics makes it worse, Hakyeon buzzing around him.

"I want to go home, hyung," Sanghyuk says, voice small, and Hakyeon's chatter halts.

"Yes," Hakyeon says gently. "Okay, we'll save it for tomorrow."

When Sanghyuk sinks into his bed, under the covers, there's only one word on his mind.

~

The knocking on the door wakes Sanghyuk up. His bones feel like they are weighing his movements down, and his muscles ache as he tries to stumble to the door.

"I called in sick," Hakyeon says, when Sanghyuk opens his door to a box of pizza and a bottle of cola. "For you. I stopped by to get report sheets though."

"Report sheets?" Sanghyuk says, trailing after Hakyeon as he bustles about, spreading old newspaper over Sanghyuk's stained wood table. The smell of cheese and meat fills the air, steam rising when Hakyeon opens the box. Sanghyuk stares at the pizza blearily, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"Last night?" Hakyeon says gently, guiding Sanghyuk to sit against the sofa. "You had blood on you. You must have killed something. I called in clean-up but they never reported back, so I brought double incase."

"I think," Sanghyuk says slowly, as Hakyeon settles beside him. "We need four more sets, hyung."

"What?" Hakyeon asks. "What?"

"I was cornered by a group," Sanghyuk says, wincing at Hakyeon's terrified squawk.

"I thought you managed to get on a bus!" Hakyeon says, voice rising in pitch.

"Before that," Sanghyuk says desperately, trying to cover up. For who, he wonders. "I just wanted to scope the area, I didn't realise how fast the sun goes down there, and I underestimated, I just texted you in case, I know I should have waited for you or Hongbin, I was being stu-"

"Han Sanghyuk!" Hakyeon exclaims. "I am not upset at you, I am just worried." Hakyeon exhales slowly. Belatedly." Hakyeon adds in afterthought. He tucks him under his arm.

"I'm glad you made it out," Hakyeon murmurs, resting his cheek against the crown of Sanghyuk's head. "I bet you were scared."

"How do you do it, hyung," Sanghyuk says, the image of the vampire's mouth so close to him, and Taekwoon and he finds his eyes brimming with heated tears. He rubs at his eyes furiously. "You said you used to do this solo. You were younger than me now."

"I did it wetting my pants," Hakyeon jokes quietly, hand rubbing gently up and down his arm. "Anger is powerful, Sanghyuk. More than you will ever know. I don't want you to ever know it. Maybe I should have never introduced you to this life."

"I don't regret that," Sanghyuk says, as the image of vampire teeth flashes in his head again. He listens to the slow, paced breathing of Hakyeon's, eyes closing at the steady rhythm of Hakyeon's heart as he tries to match it. "I just wish I was as good as you."

"Oh, Sanghyuk," Hakyeon says, laughter warm and resonant in the peace of Sanghyuk's apartment. "You are."

~

The sound of Hakyeon busy in his home takes away the silence that usually sits in Sanghyuk's home. It provides a contrast to the steady scratch of the pen nib against paper as Sanghyuk fills in details after details, the best he can remember. Sanghyuk finds he cannot pull more than general details, and he throws the pen back onto the table for the tenth time, hand scrubbing at his hair.

"Adrenaline wipes memories sometimes," Hakyeon tells him when he stops cleaning to check on him.

Sanghyuk doesn't know how to explain the headless vampire, scribbling down that another vampire accidentally attacked the other. "Do vampires even make mistakes?" He stabs the paper with the pen, dents forming in the paper.

"Why not."

Sanghyuk jumps, not even realising that Hakyeon had returned to the room for a drink. "Why do we even write reports," Sanghyuk says. "We call them monsters, leeches, we consider them anything but human but here we are, writing about them like some victim report."

"Because they were human once," Hakyeon replies easily. "We're underground but our reports get sent somewhere else, for families to grieve, and, on a more professional level, to fill reports that maintain the need for our existence. The government can only prevent, we eliminate. Where do you think all our salaries come from?"

Sanghyuk picks up his pen again, giving up on the report and signs it. He flips open the next file, ready to put his name down when he realises there is no blank page at all.

"Oh, the records," Hakyeon says, noticing how Sanghyuk's pen hovers about the paper. "I did some research."

There's pictures, dates, timings. Sanghyuk flips past the females, reviewing the males. The last profile is one familiar. "How did we even get these things?"

"Before organisations banned magic, no thanks to the government, blood bindings were often done, you know, wring out information out of vampires to find out about fellow vampires," Hakyeon's lips twist. "It was cruelty at its finest."

"Oh," Sanghyuk murmurs, fingertips brushing over the aged grey photo. "Jung Taekwoon."

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"Look," Hakyeon says, too abrupt. "I brought you this out of curiousity, because the vampire knows your face now but it's important that you remember that the vampires can't enter your home. Not without permission. Even for humans who do not dabble in magic. It's the same reason why we can't destroy a vampire's hiding place. Too much natural protection. Environment evolution thing. We would all explode from trying to damage magic. Except socerers. I guess."

Sanghyuk nods, unnerved by the fact that Hakyeon thought he was worrying about Taekwoon as potential danger. Sanghyuk reaches for his glass of water, nearly knocking it over. It hits him harder, as he stares at the trembling water in his glass, that he doesn't think of Taekwoon as a threat, and it takes more effort to have the water go down his throat.

By the time Hakyeon was done with cleaning Sanghyuk's place, Sanghyuk had finished most of what he needed to do.

"Thanks, hyung." Sanghyuk presses his hand against the doorframe as Hakyeon checks that he has his phone with him.

"No problem," Hakyeon says, as he tugs on his shoes. He looks up, smile bright. "Something to occupy myself with anyway. I've missed having to fuss over you."

Sanghyuk makes a gagging noise, and Hakyeon wrinkles his nose at him.

"By the way," Sanghyuk pauses. "Your _Abhaya_ , it makes like a bubble thing around you right?"

"Yeah?"

"Mine just electrocutes upon touch," Sanghyuk says. "Is there...something wrong with it?"

Hakyeon grins. "Ah," he says. "That's something to figure out on your own," Hakyeon squeezes Sanghyuk on the shoulder. "You have two days before you have to report, okay? See you then. Maybe you should sleep the rest of the afternoon. Remember to bring the reports in."

"Helpful," Sanghyuk says to himself, shutting the door. He places his palm against the wood, feeling the warm energy of the elder tree, how its roots have spread across the area, scanning for any threats nearby.

Sanghyuk yawns, flipping the lights off. He manoeuvres around the rest of the apartment, changing into a shirt and sweatpants before dropping onto his bed for sleep.

 

~

 

It's morning when Sanghyuk wakes up. He becomes aware that he's just staring at the back of his sofa. He looks to his clock. 9.57 a.m. He sits up, kicking the heavy duvet off him. The apartment was dim, the new blinds doing a good job to block out the sun from his only window. Sanghyuk slides his anklet out from under the bed, where he usually leaves it. The small bell tinkles as he clips it around his left ankle. He turns it such that the emblem sits in the hollow of his ankle.

"You did a good job," Sanghyuk says, shaking it to hear it tinkle a bit. He smiles, huffing in amusement. "I'm talking to inanimate objects now," Sanghyuk says, glancing at his bracelet. "Your fault." It grumbles at him, and Sanghyuk laughs at the displeasure it sends to him.

He strips, tossing his clothes to the usual pile of laundry. He stops to look at it, and his schedule has been settled for the day.

The shower is uneventful, except he realises that Hakyeon replaced his near empty bottle of shampoo to something that smells like a bottle of mint had been poured into it. The smell is refreshing, but sharp, and Sanghyuk's nose wrinkles at the smell. It's been a while since he had an off-day, Sanghyuk realises, and the knowledge of not having a set schedule relaxes the stiff set of his shoulders as he stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, toothpaste threatening to slip past his lips as he brushes vigourously.

It's sunny out, but chilly. Sanghyuk is glad he brought his jacket as he pulls on his beanie. Sanghyuk lugs his bag of dirty laundry to the laundromat, the tattered straps threatening to break on him as he goes down to the street. It takes him two washers to empty the bag. He smiles at the old boss lady that offers him tea just as he's about to go out, a familiar face.

He walks slowly out of the neighbourhood, with at least two hours to spare before he has to collect them back, purposefully stepping into spots of sunlight streaming down through the autumn foliage. He steps on the fallen leaves, the dry crunch rough and whole. The sound of cars on the roads, people talking as they pass him by is enlivening, soothing compared to the tension-filled silence that he typically experiences at night.

Sanghyuk doesn't regret his job, he thinks as he slips into a bistro. It's lunch hour, the place bustling and he finds himself a small corner by the window. Seeing people alive, carrying on with their day and knowing that he may have saved any one of them, it helps him through the long nights. Makes the sensory crash and anxiety-filled exhaustion at the end of the night worth it. He thanks the waitress that brings him his pasta, and the latte, and she smiles at him, coy. Sanghyuk tilts his head, smiling back politely before she goes off, needed by another customer.

Sanghyuk watches the street, food finished. A stranger stops by the window, a little too close, kneeling down to tie his laces. The raven black hair and fringe that shadows his eyes catches Sanghyuk's attention. The lithe frame is familiar, with broad shoulders and long fingers. The stranger stands and Sanghyuk snaps his eyes to his food, exhaling.

"It's day right now," Sanghyuk mutters, finishing the last of his drink to calm himself. "Impossible."

"Do you need any help?" Sanghyuk looks up, and the waitress is there again.

"No," Sanghyuk says. "Not right now."

"Then?" she says, lingering.

"Oh," Sanghyuk says, realising. "No, I really don't need anything," he smiles apologetically, glancing at his empty cup. "I'll just pay and get going."

She's disappointed, but Sanghyuk's more disappointed.

"Just because he said later doesn't mean he will," Sanghyuk starts talking to himself as he folds the clothes that come out of the dryer, the neat pile growing larger by the minute. He thumps the pile down irritatedly when it threatens to tip over. "Christ, Han Sanghyuk, what's wrong wi-"

"Hey kiddo," Sanghyuk whips around, and Yoongi jerks out of the way. "Woah."

"Yoongi hyung," Sanghyuk breathes. "Sorry, just, caught me by surprise."

"I can see that," Yoongi says, left corner of his lips twitching upwards. "Nothing to attack you right now, the best I can do here is zap you," he laughs, wriggling his fingers in his face and Sanghyuk chuckles, already at ease. Yoongi has that effect. "Having a day off?"

"Rough night a couple nights ago," Sanghyuk admits, going back to his folding as Yoongi takes the dryer next to his. "A hive."

Yoongi whistles, straightening up. "You went alone?"

"I wanted to scout, but I learned the hard way that the sun goes down pretty fast on the west side," Sanghyuk says.

"Ah," Yoongi nods, kicking the dryer door shut with a sneakered foot and earning a sound of disapproval from the old lady. He rolls his eyes, starting the machine. They stand there, not talking as the dryer rumbles in between them, Sanghyuk folding his clothes.

Yoongi makes small comments, and when he huffs with laughter loud enough to catch Sanghyuk's attention, he tilts his phone screen enough for him to share whatever he was looking at.

Sanghyuk slides the last shirt carefully into his bag. "I'll go now," Sanghyuk says, resting a hand on Yoongi's free arm. Yoongi looks up, and it takes him a few seconds before he nods.

"Okay," Yoongi says, thumping Sanghyuk on the back. "Take a good rest. Visit us sometime, we're just around the corner after all. Or get Hakyeon, Jaehwan, just anyone. I don't think I can take more of Kyungsoo's experimental dishes. He's fascinated by the idea of eatable magic now. Thanks to you."

Sanghyuk snorts, promising a visit before he leaves the laundromat.

Sanghyuk heaves the grocery bags onto the small kitchen counter, manuevering the eggs out and away from the heavier vegetables and meat. He stores everything away as the water boils, and he treats himself to tea as he puts away the clothes as well.

He sits on the floor, in the center of his living room as orange shafts of sunlight fall on him. He glances out of the window, as he sips at the tea, watching the setting sun sink lower.

 

~

 

Samghyuk jerks awake, and he looks around his apartment.

There's a clack, and Sanghyuk spins around, heart rate picking up. He stares at the window, fixed, but then there it is again, a pebble, hitting the pane.

He approaches the window carefully, peeking out. All he sees is the barely lit street. He frowns, stepping closer to have a better look. Sanghyuk feezes, heart skipping a beat when he realises it's Taekwoon.

Taekwoon is standing too close to the building, head tilted backwards as he looks up at Sanghyuk. There's almost an ethereal quality to his silhouette, the dim light almost catching on to the edges of it.

Sanghyuk fiddles with the lock, sliding the window open. "What are you doing," Sanghyuk hisses. "What if Hongbin-my coworkers were here?"

Taekwoon raises something in the air, slim, silver. It responds to Sanghyuk, humming and Sanghyuk's jaw drops. His dagger.

"Can I come in?" Taekwoon calls up, and Sanghyuk nearly makes a squawking noise that Hakyeon would be proud of. His face heats at the small smile that Taekwoon's lips form at the sound.

"Fucking shit," Sanghyuk mumbles, stumbling away from the window. He glances at the clock, it's barely past midnight. "Bloody hell, what is this, why do I, just," Sanghyuk jogs over to his door, sliding in the bolts, because Hongbin has his keys and god help him if he walks in at one a.m in the morning. "Fine! Come in!" He shouts at the window, praying that no one in the neighbourhood thinks anything of the shouting.

Sanghyuk flinches at the speed by which Taekwoon enters his apartment, landing silently on the floor in front of Sanghyuk. A vampire, in his apartment.

Taekwoon immediately changes his position, sitting cross-legged. He lays the dagger in front of him, pushing it closer to Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk takes measured steps towards his dagger, picking it up gingerly.

"It missed you," Taekwoon says, voice almost a whisper, like he would spook Sanghyuk. "It kept buzzing. It sort of hated me, I think."

"Oh," Sanghyuk says, feeling the buzz that comes from the modified silver.

Sanghyuk sits in front of Taekwoon, putting his dagger by his side. Taekwoon glances up. Sanghyuk rips his gaze away fron Taekwoon's delicate features, more obvious than what was in the profile records.

"About last night," Sanghyuk starts. "I-"

"It doesn't matter," Taekwoon cuts in. He lapses into silence, Sanghyuk watching his teeth worry his bottom lip.

Sanghyuk feels warm, too warm, whether from the sticky summer air to the general presence of Taekwoon, his nerves are buzzing, his tattoo screaming at him to run. He cuts it off, and then it's proper silence.

"You know me," Sanghyuk says weakly. "You knew that this," He taps his piercing lightly. "Is new."

"I do," Taekwoon replies, nodding as his fingers curl into the ends of his long sleeves and it strikes Sanghyuk odd that Taekwoon would be the one nervous here. "I've... seen you around."

"Lovely," Sanghyuk says, palm and fingers spreading against the parquet of his floor. "I love knowing I didn't know a vampire was stalking me." He lifts a hand, srubbing at the mess of his hair again.

"Don't do that," Taekwoon says, too sharp.

"I thought your type didn't have blood lust," Sanghyuk says, halting his movements entirely.

Taekwooon shakes his head, "You, you smell nice."

"You want my blood?"

"No!" Taekwoon says, rearing back. "You don't smell like blood, you just, just smell nice."

"Oh," Sanghyuk's stomach flutters again and he curses under his breath. "Well, you... you seem nice."

Taekwoon laughs, and Sanghyuk wants to hear more of it. Everything about Taekwoon is so soft. They fall into silence, and Sanghyuk starts taking in more details of Taekwoon.

His gaze lifts Taekwoon's fingers to his face, when Taekwoon shifts closer. "Can I..." He asks. "I want."

"Want?" Sanghyuk asks, he can feel his heart rate pick up. The urge to slam his face into a wall comes, because they both know what Taekwoon wants, what Sanghyuk thinks Sanghyuk wants.

Taekwoon leans closer, hand covering Sanghyuk's on the floor as he uses it to support himself. Their lips brush once.

Taekwoon pulls back just barely, eyes focused on Sanghyuk. He waits, his gaze intense and Sanghyuk tries to keep his breathing even. "Why?" He murmurs.

Taekwoon smiles and his breath is cool against Sanghyuk's lips. "I could ask you that."

"Arse," Sanghyuk says, cheeks warm as he closes the distance.

Taekwoon tilts his head a bit more, and then their lips are pressing together softly, Sanghyuk's other hand finds purchase on Taekwoon's shoulder, knuckles turning white as he clings onto Taekwoon.

This is insane, Sanghyuk thinks as Taekwoon's body comes closer, as a tongue slides along the seam of his lips and Sanghyuk opens up. It embarrasses him entirely, how fast heat pools low into his stomach, burning away any fluttering to leave space for the buzz of arousal.

He gasps when Taekwoon crawls forward, pushing Sanghyuk totally flat onto the floor, hand knocking away the blade away. Taekwoon pulls back, just barely, again seeming to scent Sanghyuk as he explores Sanghyuk's jawline, neck, collarbones, leaving small kisses where he passes. Sanghyuk's oxygen comes to him in shallow breaths, and his eyes flutter close when Taekwoon's lips graze along his neck, before latching on to suck a mark that Sanghyuk knows will last.

His eyes snap open when he feels the tiny pressure of Taekwoon's fangs drag along his skin. It shouldn't, it shouldn't but it sends a spike of pleasure through Sanghyuk, the very idea of something so deadly, so sharp against his skin and the word spills out of his lips, "Taekwoon."

He growls softly, he lifts his head to press his lips against Sanghyuk's.

"You like it," Sanghyuk mumbles into the kiss. "Taekwoon," and he feels it, the slight tensing of Taekwoon's shoulders as he says his name. "Taekwoon."

Taekwoon leans back, looking petulant and Sanghyuk looks away, his cheeks heating as he sits back up.

"I do," Taekwoon says, always so quiet, and his fingers are on Sanghyuk's chin, turning him to face him again. "And you."

"Why-" Sanghyuk stops there, licking his lips. He swallows, mind whirling. "I'm so thirsty, I-"

Taekwoon moves too fast, too not-human, and he disappears from sight. There is the sound of water flowing, and then he's back. Sanghyuk is tugged up to stand, his hand firmly held in Taekwoon's as Taekwoon's other hand holds a glass of water. Sanghyuk takes it, murmuring thanks as he moves to sit on the bed.

"Why what," Taekwoon says, when Sanghyuk is sitting the bed, Taekwoon by the foot of it.

Sanghyuk fiddles with the corner of his pillow in his lap, empty glass abandoned on the floor. "How do you even know of me?" Sanghyuk asks.

"You tried to hunt me once," Taekwoon says. "You mistook me for the group that was doing the mess by that club."

"You're the one that got away!" Sanghyuk exclaims, before he slaps his hands over his mouth at his volume.

Taekwoon's lips curve upwards. Sanghyuk swallows. "If you would say that."

"Then..."

"I was watching you," Taekwoon says, eyes lowering as he keeps his gaze pinned to Sanghyuk's floor. "Just, around."

Sanghyuk's fingers twist the cotton too tightly.

"I'm not a princess to protect, if that's what you're looking for," Sanghyuk says, the words too fast for him to censor.

"No," Taekwoon agrees. "But your scent, the night I crossed you-"

"And I won't be some food option," Sanghyuk says sharply.

"No," Taekwoon sighs, almost inaudible.

"Then?"

Taekwoon makes a sound of frustration, hands covering his face. They sit there in the darkness, Sanghyuk watching Taekwoon. His eyes refuse to leave Taekwoon, and it bugs him, the way he wants to have Taekwoon beside him instead of so far away, them at opposite ends of the bed.

"I don't know," comes the answer finally, and Sanghyuk breaks out of his reverie.

"What?"

"I don't know," Taekwoon whispers. The misplaced guilt in his eyes leave an uncomfortable tightness in Sanghyuk's chest. "Is it bad that I want to be near you?"

Sanghyuk counts to ten, before releasing his breath. "I'll trust you." He announces firmly, the words more to convince himself as Taekwoon looks at him, gaze changing from worried to quizzical.

He shifts up, going under the duvet and he flips it back. Taekwoon watches him, cautious and curious. Sanghyuk pats the spot next to him, and Taekwoon leans forward. Sanghyuk sucks on his bottom lip when he finds himself smiling, feeling more like an idiot than anything else.

Taekwoon is easily broader than Sanghyuk, curling around him. The arm he slides over Sanghyuk's waist as their legs tangle together leaves Sanghyuk feeling more secure than he has in years, crazy as it is, hand loosening its grip on his pillow.

"God, you're cold," Sanghyuk mutters, and at that Taekwoon becomes warmer almost instantaneously. "Oh."

"Better?" Taekwoon says, voice muffled against the back of Sanghyuk's neck.

"Yeah," Sanghyuk says. Taekwoon feels human, from the little breaths that puff against the nape of his neck to the body warmth and those eyes. The only thing that betrays his status is his tattoo, which he purposely channeled down. Tiny shivers run over his skin as Taekwoon noses at the juncture between his shoulder and his neck, a small kiss laid there before he stills, forehead pressed against lightly against Sanghyuk's shoulder blades.

"Name," Taekwoon says, and Sanghyuk hums back, already drowsy. "Your name."

"My name?" Sanghyuk asks, not understanding. "Oh!" he says, and he wakes up from that, and he rubs at his eye in disbelief. He turns over, and Taekwoon blinks at him. "All this time and you didn't know my name," Sanghyuk giggles softly, hand placing itself onto Taekwoon's chest. The lack of heartbeat doesn't throw him off, somehow even as his hand expects a steady rhythm to beat against his hand. When he looks up, Taekwoon's smile is small. His gaze is soft, searching as a hand comes up to run through Sanghyuk's hair gently.

"I didn't want to demand it," Taekwoon explains.

"I'm Sanghyuk," Sanghyuk's lips twitch. "Han Sanghyuk."

"Sanghyuk," Taekwoon repeats dutifully. It sounds nice, Sanghyuk thinks vaguely, the way his tongue rolls over the consonants. "Now sleep, you need sleep."

"Okay," Sanghyuk says, tucking his head into Taekwoon's chest. He's almost knocked out, but then it occurs to him, and he struggles to surface. "Will you, be here?"

He doesn't have chance to further explain, because Taekwoon shifts even closer, replying, "Mhm," the sound like a chime.

It's enough to send Sanghyuk back into the arms of sleep, even as his instinct screams, _vampire_.


End file.
